KATERINA STEFANIDI
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T A K E O F F
IF I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW By Katerina Stefanidi
After 20 years of pole vaulting, I have figured out that run throughs happen for 3 reasons: 1. 99% of the time it is because of the run. We move up to a bigger pole, or grip a little higher. Our coach tells us to move up or back a foot, and we tighten up. We try to run a little differently, or worse, we try harder. You don’t need to try harder. You need to put forth the exact same effort as on the previous pole or the prior grip. Trying harder changes the position of the run. The hips lower and push out the back. You sprint too much. You can change the run and still reach your mid marks. Ask yourself, how does the run change when you are not running through? And, are you running through with every pole? If yes, go outside of the pit and relearn the run. Brush up on how to pick up the pole; get out the low hurdles and mark the lines and practice a good easy rhythm to run and accelerate into the box. 2. We forget to prepare our hands. When a vaulter runs through and drops the pole to the side, they have not mentally prepared for the jump. That should never happen. Even when you run through, it should happen with the pole completely at the end like you were trying to take off. Think about carrying your arms into takeoff. There has to be synchronization between the hands and legs in the last 3 steps. You cannot do one without the other. If, as you accelerate closer to the box, you really think about activating your hands and your legs, I don’t see a reason for running through. 3. We think too much. This is like trying too hard. By getting on a bigger pole, we think we need to do everything better. But in thinking this, we become more robotic and less fluid. Find ways to turn your brain off. The Ultimate Garden Clash was a very interesting exercise because I did not have time to think. I just took consecutive jumps.
Put the bar at a low height, and take continuous jumps for 10 minutes. Plant the pole, make the bar, and don’t worry about what it looks like. We think that as we move up a pole we have to run harder and pole vault better. No, you just need to do the exact same thing you were doing. Turn your brain off and trust your training. Katerina Stefanidi is the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, 2017 World Champion, and a 4-time Diamond League Champion. She competes for her home country of Greece, and trains in the U.S. at SPIRE Academy. Follow Katerina on Instagram @ stefanidi_katerina.
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